The Older Ones

What hanfu styles are from which dynasties? Can you tell what dynasty the cover photo for this article depicts? Hanfu is a catch-all term for clothing that spans a very wide time period, and as a result can have many variations. But what styles of hanfu come from what time periods specifically? What are the characteristics that can help identify what dynasty most likely inspired which hanfu? In truth, while there’s a lot of speculation and artistic license taken by designers, the most popular styles of hanfu from each of the dynasties are very easy to tell apart. Let’s jump in chronologically.     Han 漢朝 (206 BCE–220CE) The Han Dynasty is the dynasty that hanfu gets its name from, as well as the term hanren (the han people, the dominant ethnicity in China). It’s only one of the various dynasties from which hanfu can come from, but it’s one of the older ones and is also pretty easily recognizable. A lot of the most popular han dynasty styles are zhishen, or one-piece robes that go down to the floor and wrap around the body. One of the most commonlyseen versions of this is the quju, the curved-hem robe, with…

What hanfu styles are from which dynasties? Can you tell what dynasty the cover photo for this article depicts? Hanfu is a catch-all term for clothing that spans a very wide time period, and as a result can have many variations. But what styles of hanfu come from what time periods specifically? What are the characteristics that can help identify what dynasty most likely inspired which hanfu? In truth, while there’s a lot of speculation and artistic license taken by designers, the most popular styles of hanfu from each of the dynasties are very easy to tell apart. Let’s jump in chronologically.     Han 漢朝 (206 BCE–220CE) The Han Dynasty is the dynasty that hanfu gets its name from, as well as the term hanren (the han people, the dominant ethnicity in China). It’s only one of the various dynasties from which hanfu can come from, but it’s one of the older ones and is also pretty easily recognizable. A lot of the most popular han dynasty styles are zhishen, or one-piece robes that go down to the floor and wrap around the body. One of the most commonlyseen versions of this is the quju, the curved-hem robe, with…